Mysticism to modernity

Lhasa is today awash with modernity, wherein traditional values only seem to be an appendage. Pratibha Chauhan reports on the town’s development after a recent visit

The unveiling of the Buddha painting is the highlight of the
The unveiling of the Buddha painting is the highlight of the 
Shoton Festival

BOARDING the flight to Lhasa filled me with the excited anticipation of a mystical experience in the land of the Buddha. Particularly, for somebody who has lived in Dharamsala and heard from nostalgic Tibetan refugees about the grandeur of Potala Palace and effervescence of Tibetan spiritualism, Lhasa conjured visions of maroon-robed, prayer wheel-rotating monks and nuns milling around in a landscape dotted with monasteries.

I thought about thousands of Tibetan refugees uprooted since 1959 from their native land, who would probably never get to see their country again and considered myself lucky to be among the privileged few getting to see the "forbidden city".

As one drove from the Gangor airport, some 90 km away, to enter Lhasa, the mental stereotypes about the city began to wane. High-rise shopping malls, ornate corporate offices of banks, construction and telecommunication companies and expressways seemed to strike a discordant note with the mental visions of a theocratic polity that Tibet had always been. The initial euphoria dissipated quickly and the mind disconnected from the heart to witness the present reality.

A view of the museum at Lhasa
A view of the museum at Lhasa

The mystical land, home to some of the greatest Buddhist scholars and spiritual teachers, is today awash with modernity wherein traditional values seem only to be an appendage.

The city can today boast of one of the best infrastructure. There is an attempt, though, to uphold the rich history, culture, traditions and values that the land is known for worldwide. I was amazed at the development that had taken place, as it appeared no different from any other modern city with excellent roads and well-regulated traffic.

The town certainly wore a festive look with elaborate decorations on major places, especially outside Potala, the winter palace of the Dalai Lama and Norbulingka, his summer abode. Since our visit coincided with the "Shoton" or "Yoghurt" festival, there was an air of festivity and celebration with a one-week government holiday in the town.

Lhasa, which in Tibetan means "sacred place," is popularly known as the "Roof of the World" at an elevation of 3650 m and also referred to as "Sunshine City," considering the fact that it gets 3,000 hours of sunshine annually. Located on the northern bank of the Lhasa river, the city has a population of about 2.70 lakh with 31 ethnic minorities, including Tibetan, Han and Hui.

The rapid pace of development inside Tibet and particularly in Lhasa has greatly picked up over the last two decades. The Central Chinese Government and officials of the State Council of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) claim it is the result of the special importance accorded to Tibet. It has been receiving preferential treatment in policies, thus heralding a socio-economic revolution.

Given the fact that Lhasa looked like any other modern city with excellent infrastructure, including the best of roads, well-regulated traffic and all the rest in place, it is at the ancient monasteries like Drepung, Jokhala and Potala Palace that one gets the feel of the spiritual aura. This mystic ambience notwithstanding, the Chinese efforts in bringing to the Tibetan people quality education, health, communication, etc., cannot be underestimated.

 

Festive fervour

The unveiling of the huge Buddha thangka (sacred painting) is held at the over 1,000-year-old Drepung monastery on the outskirts of Lhasa town, atop a mountain early in the morning. It is this ceremony which marks the start of the Shoton festival, when people make offerings of yoghurt, milk and curd to the monks who have been in meditation for months.

The Norbulingka Square comes alive with festivities
The Norbulingka Square comes alive with festivities Photos by the writer

It was still dark but the entire mountain along the monastery was flooded with people. The place had a mystical feel as the chanting of mantras reverberated and the smoke rising from the tiny hillocks purified the air. Holding the white offering khatas (sacred scarf), the people impatiently waited for the ceremony to begin.

It was around 8 am that 20 monks from the Drepung monastery carried the large 500-year-old Sakyamuni thangka paintings on their shoulders to be put on display. The Buddha painting, 30 m x 40 m was gradually unfolded amidst the echoing sound of the bugle on the hill side, facing the monastery. The crowd went into raptures as the ceremony of the "Buddha basking in the sun" was completed.

People from far and wide made a beeline to the hilltop to get a glimpse of the Buddha painting, to seek blessings and make a wish in the most divine of surroundings.

"I have been coming here since my childhood as it is a very auspicious occasion and there is no way we can give it a miss," said a monk Ang Wang Xiao, who came from Pianbo monastery of the Gelupa sect, 70 km away.

Others like truck driver, Zhaxi, were here for the first time as he had heard a lot about the ceremony.

As compared to the 1.90 lakh persons who had turned up for the unveiling of the Buddha painting, this year, the number is estimated to have crossed 2.50 lakh, according to Tourism Board officials. The traffic in the town came to a standstill for three hours as devout Tibetans made a beeline to the sacred hilltop.

Later, all assembled at the Norbulingka Square where the official function, kickstarting the Shoton festival, was held. The Tibetan Opera is another big draw during the festival as shows are held at Norbulingka and Longwangtan (Dragon King Pond) Park opposite Potala Palace. The Tibetans assemble with family and friends in the park and enjoy the opera while sipping butter tea, chang and special desserts.

As such, the Lhasa Shoton has become a grand gathering for the Tibetans, as it is a continuation of their centuries’ old rich cultural heritage and tradition.

 

Seat of spirituality

The 1300-year-old Jokhang temple, meaning the "House of the Buddha" in Tibetan, was built in 647 after Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo married Nepalese Princess, Tritsun, and the Tang dynasty Princess, Wencheng. It was to house the Buddha statues, astrological, medical and other sacred scriptures that they had brought with them that the sprawling Jokhang monastery came into being.

Ever since, the Jokhang temple emerged as the most important centre for the spread of Tibetan Buddhism throughout Tibet, and successive rulers enlarged the temple. The temple facing North towards Nepal, has several chapels like the Greta Prayer Festival and the Dalai Lama Sunlit Palace. Murals illustrating Buddhist stories, biographies, political events and local folk tales adorn the passages and walls of the monastery. As the local economy developed around the temple, the street outside became a business spot — Barkor Street — selling rare thangka paintings, exquisite stone jewellery and other artifacts.

 

Track to technology

Considered as one of the greatest feats in modern Chinese history, the Qinghai-Tibet railway line has undoubtedly caused grave strategic concern to India, but considering the fact that it has practically become a lifeline for the inhabitants of the rugged mountainous region, Chinese-Tibetan singer Han Hong has tried to eulogise the Qinghai-Tibet railway line by referring to it as "Tianlu" or the "road to heaven".

A technological marvel, the Qinghai-Tibet railway line has been hailed as ‘Tianlu’ or the ‘Road to Heaven’
A technological marvel, the Qinghai-Tibet railway line has been hailed as ‘Tianlu’ or the ‘Road to Heaven’

The construction of the railway was part of the China Western Development strategy, an attempt to develop the western provinces in Tibet and parts of China, which are much less developed than the eastern part of the country. One of the most featured rail lines in the world on television programmes, this mode of transportation is far more affordable and convenient to those who earlier had the option to travel to places like Beijing or Shanghai only by air.

The travel from Lhasa to Beijing is undoubtedly a gruelling journey of 1956 km covered in 48 hours. The train ferries about 4,000 passengers daily to and fro from Lhasa, Beijing and Shanghai. The rail line was thrown open to the public from July 2006 and has seven main railway stations but it does not stop en-route, barring in case of unforeseen exigencies. The rail line crosses the Tanggula Pass, which, at 5,072 m (16,640 feet), is the world's highest rail track. The 1,338 m-long Fenghuoshan tunnel is the highest rail tunnel in the world at 4,905 m above sea level. The 4,010-m Guanjiao tunnel is the longest tunnel from Xining to Golmod and the 3,345-m Yangbanjing tunnel is the longest from Golmod to Lhasa. More than 960 km of the Golmud-Lhasa section is at an altitude of over 4,000 m.

There are 675 bridges, totalling 159.88 km in length, and about 550 km of the railway is laid on permafrost. Considering the high altitude areas it passes through, there is provision for oxygen for every passenger and several oxygen factories had to be set along the route. The cost as compared to air travel is very less. For a hard bed one needs to pay 800 yuan, while a soft bed ticket costs 400 yuan. This railway is the first to connect the Tibet Autonomous Region to any other province, which, due to its altitude and terrain, is the last province level entity in mainland China to have a conventional railway.





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